A £40m Swindon bridge that never opened may be torn down and replaced due to 'serious failings'.
Built to link 10,000 houses to the A419 and the M4, the Southern Connector road in Swindon was built but never opened to traffic as the company that constructed it – Buckingham Group – went into administration in 2023 before safety checks could be undertaken.
According to Swindon Borough councillor, Chris Watts, the quality of work on the structure was ‘very poor' and added that there were also ‘big problems' on the link road, which has cracked in several places.
One of the latest tests undertaken by the council found foreign materials such as brick and plaster board that risk ‘undermining the integrity of the construction', along with issues with the bridge embankments.
Since the construction company went into administration, the council said it had not been safe to open the cracked road and that the bridge was also unusable.
Mr Watts said: ‘We knew when we started this process that this new road was not fit for purpose, but the more tests we have carried out, the worse it gets.
‘We now have to carry out more investigations because we can't risk spending more taxpayers' money fixing some of these defects only to find we run into further problems in a couple of years' time.
‘Unfortunately, it is becoming more apparent after testing and surveys, that the bridge has some serious failings. What we need to understand, particularly with regards to the bridge, is whether it is worth carrying out remedial work, or if there are other options we can take forward, which do include replacing the bridge. We should know more by the end of the year.'
According to the BBC, the administrators of Buckingham Group said they were ‘in ongoing discussions with the local council, and a conflict administrator to deal with this project was appointed in July 2025'.
It added that it would be ‘inappropriate to comment further at this time' but did state that it did not own the land, nor does the contractor.
